


Queen of Queens

by NightmareNightingale



Series: Queen of Queen Series [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 09:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13268652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareNightingale/pseuds/NightmareNightingale
Summary: Amelia Queen lost practically everything the day her twin brother and father died. But she managed to move on. Now, five years later, her brother is back, and Amelia is thrown into the world of chaos. Will she succumb to the pressure, or will she reign over it?-- On hiatus until further notice --





	1. I.

**I.**

She couldn't believe it.

Her brother and father were _dead_. Lost at sea.

She would never see them again.

She would never feel her father's warm embrace when she needed a hug, or her brother's soft punch when the two joked around.

They were _gone_.

She felt sick to her stomach. She didn't know if she could go on living her life. After all, she had spent the entirety of it being linked to her twin brother. Even when she was alone, somehow, his presence was always there, like they somehow were linked by some unseen bond.

But now, that bond was broken.

Now, she was just Amelia Harriet Queen, daughter of the late Robert Queen.

Amelia sat quietly as she listened to coast guards talk about how they found the debris from the Queen's Gambit, but not a single person at sea. Her mother cried into her shoulder, and her twelve-year-old sister, Thea, looked like she still didn't completely understand what was going on.

Amelia had to be strong. That's what she was - the strong one. She never cried, never showed much emotion, really. She was built like a rock, and that's what she needed to be now.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

It had been three weeks since Robert and Oliver Queen went missing. Amelia couldn't believe it, but her mother had decided that enough was enough, and legally declared both of them dead.

It was a joint funeral, and it seemed that hundreds of people were there. Of course, except the two that really mattered most.

Amelia stood there, with her little sister and mother to her right, graciously taking the hollow apologies that people were giving them.

"Hey Mel," a familiar voice said, snapping Amelia out of her thoughts, "How are you holding up?"

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Hi Tommy," she replied, "I'm doing as well as I can, I guess."

Tommy Merlyn had been Oliver's best friend since grade school. At the start, Amelia honestly thought that Tommy was sick with cooties, and for all of elementary school, she refused to be friends with him. Though, as the years went by, the two grew close, and now Amelia couldn't imagine what she would do without him in her life.

Especially now that Oliver was gone.

"Are you sure?"

It was a simple question - one that Amelia could answer with a simple lie. But for some reason, the word wouldn't leave her mouth.

Was she sure that she was fine? No, she wasn't. She was a down right mess, but couldn't grief properly because her mother and little sister needed her to be strong. She had to be strong at school, at home, and whenever the paparazzi were around. This basically meant she had to put on her façade _all the time_.

"Yeah," she finally said, "I'm fine."

Tommy looked at for a moment, before shrugging.

"Okay, well, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

She so desperately wanted someone to talk to. She wanted someone to be the strong shoulder for her that she had been for so many others. But, Amelia was a Queen, and Queens were strong people. They didn't need any help, no matter how different they felt about the situation.

"Thanks," she replied.

Tommy opened his mouth to say more, but just then, his father walked up to them. The older Merlyn gave his condolences to the family rather quickly, and then pulled Tommy away. Tommy said a short goodbye, and then followed his father, leaving Amelia once again alone with her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, this is a story that I've been working on for almost three years. I published the first chapter January 28th, 2015, on Fanfiction.net, and I am finally ready to post it here! I have also posted it on Wattpad.com as well, so if you want to check it out on the other two website, be my guest. 
> 
> So, I'm really excited about this series. Not only have I been working on this story, but I've kind of mapped out where I want the next 7 stories (Yes, I said 7!) for this series are going, not to mention the fact that I have an idea for an AU Flash series that is set in the same universe as this, which I have a really good idea for (& I'm also thinking about multiple sequels). I also have two side story ideas that I want to write, as well as an idea for a sequel for this story that doesn't follow the lines of the television show.
> 
> So yeah, all in all, I've got an idea for 14 different stories, all set in the same universe. It's a good thing I love Amelia as a character so much, or else I'd probably get pretty board with her.


	2. II.

**II.**

It had been five years since her brother and father died. Five long years, and not a day went by that she didn't think of them.  _Especially_  her brother.

This time of year was always hard on the young blonde, but for some reason, this particular year, seemed to effect her more than usual. She wasn't doing much of anything, especially when she was by herself, and her friends and family were worried that she was just going to wither away into nothingness.

So, she found herself forced to spend most of her time at Tommy's, so he could keep an eye on her, and make sure she was taken care of. Part of her wanted to just be alone, and take whatever came her way, but deep down, she was thankful that he cared so much.

"Come on Mel, " Tommy said to her one particular afternoon, "Let's go see a movie."

Amelia, who was curled up on his couch, just shook her head, her dirty blonde hair falling in her face. Despite the fact that the apartment was actually fairly warm, she was wrapped up in one of his thick blankets, snuggled in tight. There was an untouched bowl of soup and a half full glass of orange juice sitting on the table next to her.

He sat down next to her, and gently pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Mellie, you know you can't just stay cooped up like this," he said, looking straight into her eyes, "You know if Oliver was here, he wouldn't want this."

If Olive was here, Amelia thought angrily, then I wouldn't be so depressed.

But, she naturally kept her thoughts to herself, instead turning her head, so Tommy couldn't look in her eyes. He had a way of knowing exactly what she was thinking without her having to say a word.

"Mel, " Tommy said, taking her hands in his, "Please. I'm worried about you - you aren't eating, you aren't exercising. You aren't doing  _anything_ , except sitting here and staring at the window. This isn't healthy. "

Amelia looked at Tommy, and opened her mouth to say something, but before the words could escape her mouth, she heard the familiar ring of her cellphone. She quickly grabbed it from the coffee table and frowned when she noticed who it was from - her mother.

"Mother," she said, answering the phone.

"Oh Amelia, " her mother said, sounding happier than she ever had since her husband's and son's death, "Amelia, this is  _fantastic_! "

" _What_ , Mother?" the older Queen daughter asked, a slight annoyance in her tone.

"It's Oliver, Oliver," her mother said, letting out a loud sob, "they've found him. He's  _alive_!"

Her mother had continued talking, but Amelia hadn't been able to hear what was being said. Her phone fell from her grasp the second the world 'alive' escaped her mother's lips.

Amelia hadn't even noticed that there were tears coming from her eyes until she tasted the salty drops on her lips.

"Oh god, Amelia, what's wrong?" Tommy asked, pulling her chin towards him. She stared right into his eyes, and swallowed, trying to get rid of the big lump in her throat. It took her a few moments to answer.

"It's Oliver, " she finally managed to say, in a whisper so soft that Tommy could barely hear it, "They've found him."

"Oh god, they found his  _body_?" Tommy asked.

"No," she replied, "No, they found  _him_. He's … he's alive… Tommy, he's  _alive…_ "

The two sat in silence for a moment, before Tommy wrapped his arms around Amelia's shoulders, and pulled her into his chest. The tears started heavily falling from Amelia's eyes, and they just wouldn't stop, no matter how hard Amelia willed them not to. Tommy just held her tightly, letting her cry into his chest as he rubbed small circles on her back.

But, despite the tears, Amelia wasn't necessarily sad. They weren't happy tears, either, though. They were more like tears of relief. Tears for the fact that her brother was finally coming home.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Amelia looked at the clock in her room, and smiled.

They were due any second, now.

Amelia got up from her vanity table, and straitened her blouse. She wanted everything to perfect for her when brother got home. It had been a week since he had gotten back to America - he had been in the hospital due to extreme trauma to his body. Their mother had told her that the doctors had looked over him, and despite the fact that twenty percent of his body was covered in scar tissue, and he had twelve fractions that hadn't healed properly, he was fit enough to come home.

Amelia went to go check on his room, and of course everything was in tip-top condition. She quickly ducked back into her room, grabbing her camera (she hardly went anywhere without it), and then headed towards the foyer, fixing the decorations that littered the hallways when she noticed they were slightly out of place. She quickly stopped what she was doing when she heard the front door open and voices coming from it.

"Your room is just the way you left it," she heard her mother say, "I didn't have the heart to change it after you…"

Amelia let her mother's words sink in for a moment as she reached the top of the stairs. She didn't let her presence be known quite yet, not quite knowing what she was going to say to him when they did talk.

"Hello Oliver," Walter said from the other side of the room, "It's damn good to see you. "

Suddenly, Amelia realized that Oliver doesn't know that their mother remarried, and that Walter is now their step-father. Amelia highly doubted that Oliver knew much about Walter, considering he didn't come around much until after the funeral. He was their father's work friend, and the Queen siblings knew that their father hardly ever brought his work home with him.

"You remember Walter, don't you Oliver? " Their mother asked, "A friend of your father's from work?"

Amelia bit back a giggle as her brother nodded absent-mindedly. He noticed something under the stairs - Amelia quickly realized that it must be the head housekeeper, Raisa.

"It's good to see you again, Raisa, " Oliver said.

" Mister Tommy called. He would like to join you for dinner," Raisa said.

"Wonderful," Amelia's mother said.

Amelia took a few steps towards the railing, looking down so she could get a good look at her brother. But, the stairs creaked, and the young blonde froze for a moment, before her brother appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Amelia just stood there for a moment, taking in everything that was her brother. He looked so different, yet it also seemed that nothing had changed. A large smile appeared on her face, and she barreled down the stairs.

"Oliver," she said, engulfing him in a huge hug. Olivier seemed taken aback for a moment, but he quickly returned the hug.

"God, Ollie, I missed you," she whispered into her ear, "I missed you so, so much."

"You were with me the whole time," he whispered back.

A single tear fell from Amelia's face. But she wasn't sad.

For the first time since Oliver's disappearance, she was truly happy.


	3. III.

**III.**

A small frown appeared on Amelia's face as she looked down at her lap. She was trying to get work done - despite the fact that she could do just about nothing, and still live a pretty lavishing lifestyle, Amelia liked to keep busy. She spent most of her time as a photo journalist, but whenever her mother and stepfather were planning a Queen Consolidated press release or work party, they put it in the hands of Amelia. She had always had a knack for planning things, and yeah, it did usually keep her busy for the most part. Now, Queen Consolidated was planning on opening a new building for the science division, naming it in honor of her late father, and so that was what she was working on.

Or at least, that's what she was trying to work on, if it hadn't been for her cat, Munch, sitting on her laptop's keyboard. She had adopted the cat about four and a half years ago, with Tommy's persistence. He figured that if she had another thing to take care of, she'd be able to take better care of herself. She had hoped that her mother was squash the idea, but when Moira agreed with Tommy that it might be good for the elder Queen daughter to have some sort of responsibility outside of herself, Amelia had no choice but to go with Tommy to the local animal shelter. And the second she saw the Gray Russian cat, Amelia knew he had to be hers.

Although she was frustrated with the cat, she couldn't help but smile when he reached up to play with her hair. She had been wearing it down for the afternoon, not knowing what exactly she wanted to do with it for when Tommy came around.

Tommy.

She knew that now, with Oliver back, things were going to be different. The two had been having a hidden relationship for almost two years, but they had been planning on telling people soon. Of course, now that was going to be harder. They both cared for Oliver too much, and they knew he would jump to conclusions about their relationship. She just hoped she could catch him before he talked to Oliver or the others.

Being so distracted by the thought of Tommy, Amelia hadn't exactly been watching her cat as he reached up for her hair, but ending up getting the cord to her earbuds stuck in his paw.

"Ow, Munch," Amelia scolded as he pulled on the cord to put it in his mouth, causing the earbuds to come unplugged from Amelia's laptop and out of her ears. The cat jumped off the bed, and rushed out of the room. Amelia knew she didn't really  _need_  her earbuds to continue her work, but she knew she needed a break, so she quickly jumped off of her bed, and made it outside just in time to see Munch make his way through Oliver's opened door.

"Sorry," she said as she opened the door a bit, revealing Oliver sitting at his desk, which now had Munch laying on one side of it, Amelia's earbuds right next to him.

Oliver shook his head, petting the gray cat on the head.

"It's okay," he said, "but since when do we have a  _cat_?"

Amelia stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

"After your ...  _disappearance_ ," Amelia said, not quite sure if that was what she should say, "Tommy and Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to get a cat. I was in a really bad place, so they figured having something else to take care of would help with that."

There was an odd silence between the two. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't the kind of silence that Amelia was used to having with her brother.

"You and Tommy are pretty close now, huh," Oliver finally said. It took every ounce of Amelia's energy to not cringe at the words.

"Well, after Laurel stopped talking to me, I didn't really care to do much," Amelia answered, "Tommy understood that. He helped me get out of that bad place that I had been in."

Amelia saw that confused look on Oliver's face, and knew it was because of Laurel. Laurel and Amelia had been the best of friends before Oliver left. It was the kind of relationship every boy wanted his sister and girlfriend to have. But clearly, he hadn't thought about the secret that the siblings shared, and the aftermath of it.

"When the Queen's Gambit went down, I was the only one that knew about Sara," Amelia said, "I was the only one who knew what you two were doing behind Laurel's back - behind my  _best friend's_ back. And I couldn't keep the secret any longer. I had to tell them that Sara was dead. Just like Dad. Just like  _you_."

She hadn't meant to get emotional, but she could feel the tears swelling in her eyes.

"Laurel and I haven't talked in years. She hates me just as much as she hates you," Amelia continued, "Which is  _a lot_ , by the way."

Oliver's face went stone cold. Amelia knew that this was hard for him - he  _had_ been cheating on Laurel with her own little sister. Amelia had wondered if he thought about what he was going to tell Laurel - did he know that Amelia would have the courage to break the promise she made to him, or would she keep quiet, and let the secret die with them? Clearly, if he had thought the later, he didn't really know Amelia at all.

Why...?" Oliver asked.

"Because they deserved to know," Amelia answered, "I don't think I'd be able to deal with not knowing if you were dead or not. they could've gone years without knowing. I knew that there was going to be repercussions, but I also know that the Lance family deserved to know the truth."

Before Oliver could respond to that, Munch, who was now sitting up, let out a loud meow.

"Come on, Munch," Amelia said to the cat, "It's time to feed you your lunch."

At the mention of lunch, the cat jumped down from the desk and ran over to the door. He looked over at Oliver for a brief moment, before turning and moving through Amelia's legs to leave the room.

Amelia gave one last look at her brother, though his attention had gone back to the computer screen in front of him. It seemed their conversation was over, at least for the time being. So, she left without saying another word.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Later that day, Amelia found herself walking around the grounds of Queen Manor, with her camera. The sun was starting to set, causing the sky to become a sort of orange-pinkish color - it seemed like the perfect time for a photo-op.

She was in the garden, surrounding herself with the roses and other flowers. She was sitting on the same bench that she and her father had been sitting on the last time the two of them had really had a conversation with one another. It had been after one of the family's Sunday mid-morning brunches - Moira had promised Thea a fun day full of shopping, and Oliver went straight back to his room to nurse a huge hangover, so it was just Amelia and her father. Robert suggested that he and Amelia go on a walk.

"Do you know why I like roses so much, Amelia?" Robert asked. Amelia, 22 years old at the time, shook her head no.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because," he answered, "Despite their beauty and grace, they are a dangerous sort of flower."

"Like your mother," he continued after a comfortable silence, "Like  _you_."

Amelia looked at her father with a sort of confused look on her face. She knew that she was pretty, but she was more like a stick than a rose, not to mention she hardly had any skills that would qualify her as 'dangerous.'

"Thea's only twelve - she doesn't know who she is yet - and Oliver," Robert paused to give a small chuckle, "Well, he's  _Oliver_. But, you Amelia. You're strong. And dangerous, even if you don't know it yet."

"You know, I'm not going to be at this forever," Robert continued, "And I know at some point the company is going to go to you and Oliver, and of course Thea if she wants it, though I doubt she would - My point is, you're going to have to watch your brother's back."

Of course, back then Amelia told herself that she would always have Oliver's back. Now, though, Amelia realized that she hadn't had her brother's back at all. She thought she had when she found about Oliver and Sarah, but didn't saying anything. But, when Oliver told Amelia about his plan to take Sarah on the Queen's Gambit, Amelia knew that something was going to happen. She should've said something - she should've told him to stop - tried to convince him that it was a bad idea, and that nothing was worth it. But, she didn't. Instead, she just let it happen, and ended up getting six people killed, and her brother stranded on deserted island for five years.

"Hey Beautiful," a familiar voice said from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned around, and found Tommy standing right behind her. He leaned down, planting a small kiss on Amelia's lips - one that she eagerly accepted.

"So, dinner tonight?" Tommy asked, sitting down next to her, "Are we going to tell everyone?"

"No," Amelia said rather suddenly, "No, we can't. Oliver hasn't even been home for day. We keep quiet until he's all situated. Then, we bring it up. But only if we feel that it's safe. I'm not sure my family can quite handle the news yet."

'Right," Tommy replied, "So, we wait."

"We wait."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Amelia's head on Tommy shoulder, and her hand on his knee. She could've sat like this forever, but her phone vibrated in her back pocket. As she took it out, she realized that it was the reminder for dinner that she had set before coming outside.

"You should go up to the house," Amelia said standing up, "I've got one last thing to do before dinner."

Tommy said nothing, but stood up and gave Amelia a soft kiss on the cheek. The two headed off, Tommy in the direction of the house, Amelia in the opposite direction. It didn't take her long to get to the outskirts of Queen Manor.

There, in a clear patch of grass, sat two tombstones. One had the name of Robert Queen, and the other, Oliver Queen. Amelia sat in between the two of them, but she turned towards her father.

"This time, Daddy, I won't break my promise," she said, "This time, I'll make  _sure_  I've got Ollie's back..."


	4. IV.

**IV.**

"Okay, what else did you miss?" Tommy asked after taking another bite of Raisa's delicious cooking, "Super bowl winners - Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants,  _again_."

"A black president, that's new," he continued with a smirk, "Oh, and Lost? They were all dead."

"I  _think_ ," he added, looking at Amelia, who had been sitting next to him, in between him and her mother. She couldn't help but smirk as she rolled her eyes.

It was common knowledge that one of Amelia's favorite television shows had been Lost. And the series finale had been such a big deal to the blonde, thought it all had seemed a bit to anti-climactic.

Before anything else could be said, Thea spoke up.

"What was it like there?" she asked.

The whole room went silent. Amelia glared at her little sister briefly, before looking up at her brother, who had a sort of amused look on his face.

"Cold," he said, without missing a beat.

Amelia could see Thea squinting her eyes, something she did when she believed that someone was lying to her. Before Thea could say anything else, Amelia spoke up with the first thought that came to her mind.

"Tomorrow," she spat out, "You, Tommy, and I are doing the city. You've got  _a lot_  to catch up on."

"That sounds like a great idea," Moira said.

"Good," Oliver responded, "Then I was hoping I could swing by the office."

The shocked look on both Moira and Walter's faces didn't surprise Amelia. She knew her brother wasn't the business type of guy, and had never really shown any interest towards the Queen family's company before. It was Amelia who was supposed to take over some day.

"Well, there's plenty of time for all that," Walter said, "Queen Consolidated isn't going anywhere."

Oliver smiled, looking over at Walter and Moira.

Suddenly, Raisa tripped, falling onto Oliver.

"I am so sorry Mister Oliver," Raisa said as she got up. Oliver simply smiled, and replied in Russian.

Amelia just sat there, looking dumbfounded at her brother. Since we did he know any language besides English.

"Dude," Tommy said, voicing Amelia's thoughts, "You speak Russian?"

"I didn't realize that you took Russian in college, Oliver," Walter said.

"I didn't realize you wanted to sleep with my mother, Walter," Oliver retorted.

Amelia couldn't help but be quite happy to see part of the old Oliver. Despite the obvious change in his demeanor, it was nice to know that there was a part of Oliver that Amelia was familiar with, however crude and awful it might be. Still, she couldn't help but go wide eyed as she looked over at Moira, who gave the elder Queen sister a simply glare, before turning to Thea with the same look.

"I didn't say anything," Thea responded.

Again, attention went towards Amelia.

"I didn't either," she responded, throwing her hands up in the air.

"They didn't have to," Oliver said, sounding disappointed.

Moira looked over at her son. She took a small breath in, letting it out slowly.

"Oliver, Walter and I are married," she said, taking Walter's hand, "And I don't want you to think either one of us did anything to disrespect your father."

"We both believed Robert, like you, was a..." Walter paused for a moment, "well, gone."

"It's fine," Oliver said.

And everyone else seemed to believe it. But, as Oliver turned his gaze towards Amelia, and their eyes met for a brief moment, she could tell. He wasn't as fine with it as he wanted people to believe.

He stood up, and looked back at Moira.

"May I be excused," he said with a monotone-like voice.

Moira nodded, and Oliver turned to leave. He patted Tommy on the shoulder as a goodbye, and then walked out of the dining room. Amelia and the others watched as her brother walked away.

"May I be excused as well?" Thea asked, drawing Amelia's attention away from her brother for the moment.

"Yes, yes," Moira answered, "It seems dinner is over. You may all be excused."

Thea quickly bounced up and out of the chair, rushing towards the exit. Amelia and Tommy stood up as well, though they didn't rush out as quickly as Thea had. The two slowly made their way out of the dining room just in time to hear Walter ask Moira what's wrong.

"My boy," Amelia heard her mother respond as she closed the doors, "My baby boy..."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

A scream echoed throughout the room, causing Amelia to wake.

She rolled over on her side to look at the clock. It read in big bulky numbers '4:13.' She waited for a moment, to see if she could hear another sound but all she could hear was the sound of the rain hitting the ceiling.

Wait.

Amelia sat up. She was sure she could hear someone speaking. It wasn't very loud, but she could hear it, just above the sound of the rain.

She slowly got out of bed, throwing on her robe, before heading out to investigate.

It didn't take long to figure out who it had come from - Oliver's door was opened ever so slightly, and she could hear him muttering something. She poked her head in there, and saw Oliver, asleep but restless, lying on the floor, near the opened window. He was thrashing about, muttering the name Sara over and over again.

"Oliver," Amelia said in hushed tones as she got closer to her brother, "Oliver, please wake up."

Nothing seemed to happen. So, she knelt down, and softly put her hand on his shoulder.

"Oliver," she said again, gently shaking him, "Come on, Ollie. Wake up."

His eyes shot open, and he grabbed her arm. He seemed like he was in a trance as he flipped her over, and attempted to chop her neck. Amelia was in such a state of shock, she barely registered Walter barking out Oliver's name. He and Moira must've followed Amelia in, and she just hadn't noticed.

Oliver let go of his sister, suddenly out of his trance, and quickly pushed himself back, towards the window. Moira quickly grabbed at Amelia, holding her in her arms. Amelia's breath went back to normal as Moira rubbed circles on her back, like she used to do when the kids were children.

Amelia realized that Oliver was the one who probably let out the scream that woke her up. She wondered what could've been so terrifying to give her brother nightmares.

"I'm so sorry," Oliver said, "I'm so, so sorry."

"No, it's okay, Oliver," Amelia muttered. She knew it wasn't his fault. Amelia had no idea what he had gone through in the past five years, but it couldn't have been easy.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Moira continued, "You're home."

The others noticed the downright pained look that crossed Oliver's face when those were said. Amelia wanted to reach out, and pull her brother into a hug. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay, and that she was going to be here for him, no matter what.

But, her mother's grasp was to strong. So, she stayed in place, wishing there was more she could do. Moira pulled Amelia up, and without another word, the two left Oliver's room with Walter.

"Good night, Mother," Amelia said as she quickly darted into her room, "Good night, Walter."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

The next morning, Amelia woke to the sound of Wide Awake by Katy Perry. She reached over to her bedside table, trying to find the source of the sound. After a few seconds, she finally managed to grab it. Briefly looking at the phone, she smiled when she saw who was calling.

"Hey," she said, answering the call.

"Morning, Beautiful," Tommy responded. Although Amelia didn't have a mirror nearby, she could easily tell that she was blushing. Tommy always seemed to have a way of turning Amelia into a love sick school girl.

"So," he continued, when Amelia didn't respond, "I was thinking. We need to throw Oliver a welcome home party. I mean, he's been  _dead_  for the past five years - he needs to come back to life in style!"

Amelia let out a little chuckle. Of course, leave it to Tommy to have the bright idea to throw a  _party_. Still, though, Amelia couldn't argue that her brother did need to start having some fun. He had seemed so different yesterday, Amelia wasn't sure if the Oliver that had come back was actually her  _brother_ , or some altered clone.

"You know, you're right," Amelia finally said, "Oliver does need to go to a good party."

"Good," Tommy replied, "Glad we're on the same page. I was thinking-"

"Hold on," Amelia said, hearing a faint knock on the door. She moved the phone away from her mouth, and sat up.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened to reveal Oliver.

"Hey," he said, reaching up to mess with his hair, "Do you know where Thea is?"

Amelia looked over at her bedside table. The clock read '8:36.'

"School," Amelia answered, "But, she's got a free period after lunch, so she usually comes home with her friend, Margo."

"Cool," he responded.

"Well," he said, after a beat of silence, "I'll let you get back to that phone call. I'll be down in the kitchen if you need me."

"Awesome," Amelia responded, "Will you let Raisa know I'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes?"

"Sure," he answered, "I'll see ya downstairs."

As soon as the door was closed, and Amelia was sure her brother was far enough away, she brought the phone back up to her ear.

"Okay, well, I have to go," she said, "but you should come by the house a bit later. We can take Oliver to see the town."

"I'll be there around noon," Tommy answered.

"See ya then," Amelia said.

"Bye," Tommy responded.

Amelia hung up the phone, and set it back down on her bedside table. She let out a small content sigh. She looked around for a moment, before getting out of bed and heading into her closet.

It didn't take long for her to change into a black tank-top, a gray cardigan, and dark denim jeans. After that, she made her way downstairs, to the kitchen, where she met Raisa and Oliver, making breakfast and watching the news.

"Good morning, Miss Amelia," Raisa said with a smile.

"Morning, Raisa," she responded. She sat down next to her brother, who seemed to make no motion to acknowledge that Amelia was there. Of course, what with Laurel's face on the screen, Amelia wasn't surprised in the least.

"You know, she's a lawyer now," Amelia said, "started a non-profit organization with one of her college friends, I think. She helps people in the city who can't help themselves."

"Oh," Oliver said, finally realizing that his sister was sitting right next to him. Amelia reached across his plate, and grabbed the remote. She turned off the television, glancing over at her brother to see if he was okay with it. However, he seemed glad that the television was off.

"So," Amelia said to Oliver, obviously changing the subject to something a little more comfortable for the both of them, "Tommy's planning on coming over at noon, to pick us up for a day on the town."

"Cool," Oliver said, "I'll be ready by then."

" _Please_ ," Amelia responded.

In the past, Oliver had always had a thing with attendance, and the few times he ever did make it to something, he was  _always_ late. And that was one thing that Amelia  _hated_. She was more like her parents in the fact that timeliness was always something important to her. She had a teacher that once said "if you're fifteen minutes early, then you're on time" and that was something that had always stuck with Amelia.

He made a face of mock hurt, and Amelia couldn't help but stick her tongue out at her brother as she stuffed a huge slice of bacon in her mouth. Raisa had brought Amelia over a huge plate of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, which just so happened to be one of Amelia's favorite breakfasts; the young blonde was thoroughly enjoying the food.

The rest of the morning was spent simply talking and eating Raisa's delicious food. Oliver asked her questions about what had happened in the past five years, and Amelia tried to answer them the best she could. She wanted to bring up what happened on the island, but everything was feeling so  _right_  sitting in the kitchen with Oliver, she didn't want to risk the chance of messing anything up. They were like that for over two hours, until Amelia realized the time.

"Wow," Amelia said as she looked up at the microwave clock, "I can't believe it's already eleven! I promised my boss that I would finish some work for them before noon. I've got to get it done before Tommy gets here."

"Well, thanks for informing me about today's pop culture," Oliver said as he got up and took his dishes to the sink. Amelia sat there for a second, to stunned to say anything. She had never known her brother to do something like take his own dishes to the sink.

"What?" Oliver asked. Amelia smiled and shook her head, her dirty blonde curls bouncing around her face.

"Nothing," she said. Oliver took her plate from in front of her, and also put it in the sink. Sure, Oliver might have changed, but looking at him now, Amelia realized that maybe it wasn't as bad a thing as she thought.


	5. V.

**V.**

It was like time was slipping away from Amelia as the day progressed, because although it felt like only minutes, Amelia was reminded of the time when her phone buzzed, signaling that she got a text message.

_I'll be there in five minutes._

It was a text message from Tommy.

But wasn't he supposed to be arriving at noon? Amelia looked at her clock, and was surprised to find that it was actually almost noon. She finished editing the photo she was working on, and then sent it off.

She went over to Oliver's room, and knocked on the door. After hearing no response, she knocked again. Not getting any answer, Amelia slowly opened the door, to find her brother missing from his room. Knowing full well that Oliver had been looking for Thea earlier, she went towards her sister's room.

When the older Queen sister was almost to her sister's room, she ran into Thea's friend, Margo.

"Hey Mel," Margo said with a smile.

"Hey Margo," Amelia responded. Margo quickly walked away, and Amelia made it to her sister's room. She found the door slightly opened, and could hear two voices coming from it. She knew that it was Oliver and Thea, so she patiently listened.

"It's a hosen," she heard Oliver say, "And in Buddhism, it symbolizes reconnecting..."

Amelia jumped when something touched her side, but a smile formed on her lips when she saw that it was Tommy. He brought a finger up to his lips, telling Amelia to be quiet, at least for now.

"I kept it in hopes that it would reconnect me with you."

"A rock," Tommy finally said, letting his and Amelia's presence be known as they entered the room, "Aw, that is sweet."

"You know," Amelia said with a smirk on her face, playing along with Tommy's game, "I want one of those shirts that say my brother was a castaway, and I all got was this crappy shirt."

Thea looked over at Amelia and Tommy and rolled her eyes.

"Don't let these two get you into too much trouble," she said, "You just got back. Take it  _slow_."

Thea leaned in a gave Oliver a small kiss on the cheek. She quickly hugged her sister, and patted Tommy on the arm.

"The city awaits!" Tommy said excitedly.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

The three were sitting in Tommy's in silence as they sped down the road. There was some place in the Glades that Oliver wanted to check out, though neither Tommy nor Amelia really wanted to ask him about it. Tommy was driving, Oliver was sitting shot gun, and Amelia was sitting in the back.

"Your funeral blew," Tommy finally said, quickly glancing at Oliver. A small smile played on Oliver's face.

"Did you get lucky?" The blonde asked his friend. Tommy gave a large, goofy grin as he chuckled.

"Like fish in a barrel," Tommy responded. Amelia stuck her head in between the two boys from the back, feeling fully invested in this conversation her brother and secret boyfriend were having.

"They were so sad," Tommy continued, shaking his head as Oliver let out a small groan, "And  _huggy_."

"And I bet you're counting on another target rich environment for Ollie's welcome home bash," Amelia joked. Though, really, it was only something that both Amelia and Tommy got, considering the rest of the world still thought he was single.

"Wait, my what?" Oliver asked.

"You came back from the  _dead_ ," Tommy responded, "This calls for a party."

"You tell me where and when, and  _I'll_  take care of the rest," Amelia said, knowing full well that Tommy wasn't really the kind of person who planned things. Tommy was the man with the big ideas, while Amelia was the one who had the attention for details. It was why the two worked so well together.

Oliver smiled at his sister. But, before he could respond, Tommy pulled the car into a small parking lot.

"This city's gone to crap," Tommy muttered, "Your dad sold his factory just in time..."

"Why'd you want to drive to this neighborhood anyway?" he continued.

Amelia saw her brother turn his head, but couldn't see exactly what it was he was looking at.

"No reason," Oliver replied after a moment of silence.

Amelia could tell that there was something off with her brother. Then again, that wasn't that big of a surprise - he had been acting strange ever since he got back from the island. But, being Oliver's twin sister, Amelia knew things. She got feelings from her brother that she was sure no one else could understand.

"So, what'd you miss the most?" Tommy asked, completely oblivious to Oliver's odd behavior, "Steaks at the palm, drinks at the station meaningless  _sex_?"

"Laurel," Oliver said absent-mindedly. Amelia rolled her eyes as she leaned back into the seat.

"Everyone is glad that you're alive," Amelia said, "And you want to see the one person who  _isn't_?"

Tommy looked back at Amelia and glared at her, though Amelia just shrugged.

"Can ... can you take me to see her?" Oliver asked. Tommy turned his attention back towards his friend.

"Are you sure that's the best idea right now?" He asked.

"I would really like to go see Laurel," Oliver said, giving no real answer to the actual question.

"If that's what you want," Tommy replied.

"But," Amelia mumbled form the back seat, soft enough so her brother wouldn't really hear, " _This_  funeral isn't going to be as nice as the other one."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Amelia shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for her brother.

"Hey," Tommy said, "There's nothing to worry about."

That was easy for him to say, of course. He didn't know about Sara when it was happening, and he didn't have to tell Laurel about her sister's death. He didn't have to face Laurel after that.

" _Trust_  me, Mel," Tommy continued, though he didn't sound like he believed what he was saying, "It's been five years. Do you really think Laurel will still be that mad?"

Yes. Tommy hadn't been there when Amelia told Laurel and the rest of her family what had happened. He didn't have to see the hurt in Detective Lance's eyes, or the tears that came from Mrs. Lance. Tommy didn't have to see the pain the family went through, and how it tore them all apart.

Amelia glared at her boyfriend, and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Laurel stormed up to them.

"How'd you think this was going to go, Tommy?" She asked, not even acknowledging that Amelia was here. She quickly walked away, and back into her office.

"Yeah, honestly, I thought it was going to be just like that," he said, looking over at Amelia, who just shrugged, as if she knew this is exactly what was going to happen. Amelia wasn't surprised that Laurel was ignoring her, honestly.

"Well,  _that_  was eventful," Oliver said as he walked up to Tommy and Amelia.

"Yeah," Amelia said sarcastically, "That went  _perfectly_."

Oliver glared at his sister, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Amelia said, grabbing her brother's arm, "Let's get out of here."

The three friends walked the short distance from Laurel's office to the alleyway they left the car.

"Well, now that that's over with," Amelia said with a smile, "Let's go have some  _real_  fun."

"How about find some sexy models," Tommy said with a goofy grin, "And eat some sushi off of their bodies. We could-"

Before Tommy could finish that sentence, a car sped into the alleyway, blocking Tommy's car from leaving. Four men in red masks jumped out with guns. One of them quickly aimed the gun at Amelia, and shot at her. She was fully prepared for the bullet to pierce her skin, but instead she felt something poke her in the neck.

Suddenly, she felt light headed. She felt her legs give way, and instantly she fell to the ground. She fought to stay awake, but she won that battle just enough to see Tommy fall to the ground, and hear the echoing of gunshots. Then, everything went dark.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

The next thing Amelia remembered was waking up in a seemingly old factory. She was lying on her side, and could feel something hard underneath her, like a wooden crate or something. She could hear voices coming from the other side of the room, but she couldn't see much. All she could see was an old brick wall.

"Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?" She heard from behind her. She slowly tried to move to get a better view, but found that her hands were bound together by what felt like zip-ties.

The next thing Amelia heard was buzzing, and a loud grunt. She wasn't sure who it was making those noises, but she hoped that whomever it was, was alright.

"Yes he did," Amelia heard her brother say, telling her that it was in fact her brother who was getting tortured.

"What did he tell you Mister Queen?" The ominous voice said to her brother.

"He told me I'm going to kill you," Oliver answered.

The unknown man laughed.

"You're delusional," he said, "You're zip-cuffed to that chair."

There was a small silent pause, before a soft gasp could be heard.

"Not anymore," Oliver said.

And that was when all hell began.

A fight began, though Amelia wasn't able to follow it completely. The sound of wood cracking, punching being thrown, everything was going way too fast for Amelia, who was still slightly out of it, due to the drug that had knocked her unconscious.

And then there was the echo of the gun shooting.


	6. VI.

**VI.**

Amelia shut her eyes tight as the gun shooting echoed throughout the room. It only lasted for about five to ten seconds, but all that was going through Amelia's head during that time was, Oh God, I am going to die.

Amelia heard footsteps come closer to her, and she hoped that they weren't coming over to finish her off. The footsteps stopped for a few moments, before they quickened, and sounded farther and farther away, until Amelia couldn't hear them anymore.

Slowly she opened her eyes. She tried sitting up, but found herself zip-tied to someone else. She tried to look behind her, but because she was lying down, it was hard for her to look behind her. After a few minutes of just lying there, she heard the person behind her let out a small moan.

"Oliver," the voice mumbled. She knew that voice. It was Tommy!

"Tommy!" Amelia exclaimed.

Another small moan came from Tommy, and instantly, Amelia relaxed. She felt a tug on her arms, and instantly, she realized that Tommy and she were zip-tied together.

"Tommy, stop struggling," Amelia warned, moving herself arounda bit so the restraints weren't so painful against her skin.

"Where are we?" Tommy asked, sounding more alert than before, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Amelia answered, "I'm really not sure."

"Hey, can you try and sit up?" Amelia asked. Tommy began pulling himself up without saying anything, and Amelia began trying to sit up, too. It didn't take long for the two of them to finally sit up.

"Tommy, what do you see?" Amelia asked, realizing that she was still facing the same damn wall.

"I think... I think we're in a warehouse," He answered. Amelia could hear a small, deep intake from Tommy.

"Mel, there are bodies," he continued, "And ... And they don't seem like they're breathing..."

Before Amelia could say anything, footsteps were heard coming from the hallway. Amelia pushed her back against Tommy's, preparing for the worst. She could feel Tommy pull her hand into his.

"Oh, Thank God," Amelia heard a familiar voice say. Instantly, Tommy grip relaxed. It was Oliver. She felt someone tugging at the zip-ties around her arm; she hadn't realized how tight they really were until they were cut free.

"Damn" Tommy said, "It took you long enough, man."

"Yeah," Amelia muttered, as she turned around, rubbing her wrists where the zip-ties had chafed.

"What happened?" Tommy asked Oliver. Oliver just shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he said, "I was in the other room, getting tasered. A guy in a green hood came around, and rescued me. It looked he got this room too..."

Amelia couldn't help but wonder what was going through her brother's head right now. She knew the truth - he was in this room when they were hurting him. He fought back. Amelia knew her brother was lying, but looking at him, she saw that there wasn't anything on his face that would give him away. The twins' gaze met for just a brief moment, but before Amelia could say anything, Oliver spoke up.

"We should call the police."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

A few hours later, the three friends were in Queen Manor, Amelia sitting in between her brother and secret boyfriend on the couch, while Walter & Moira sat on the loveseat across them, Thea sitting in one chair, while Detective Lance was sitting in the other.

"So that's your story," Detective Lace said as he looked down at the sketch, "A guy in a green hood flew in and single handed took out four armed kidnappers?"

Amelia had to use all her willpower not to speak up. When the two of them and Tommy were waiting for police to come and process the crime scene, Oliver had told them a story about he was in a different room, but before much could happen, a strange hooded man had come crashing through one of the windows, and killed the kidnapper. Afterwards, he must've come into the room that Amelia and Tommy were in and killed those guys before coming back and untying Oliver and leaving. But that wasn't the truth, and Amelia knew that.

Why would Oliver lie? He had saved them - that was something that she never ever expected her brother to be able to do. There was something else going on, but Amelia didn't want to push it. She had only had her brother back for a day - she knew asking him all sorts of questions would only make him angry. So, for now, she just kept quiet, keeping a mental note to ask about it, some day.

"I mean, who is he?" Detective Lance continued, disbelief quite evident on his face, "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Oliver answered, before Detective Lance could say anything else, "find him, and you can ask."

Detective Lance spent a brief moment in what seemed like a staring contest. Amelia could tell that the detective was trying to figure Oliver out. But, he gave up rather quickly, and his attention went towards Amelia and Tommy.

"What about you two?" Detective Lance asked, "Did you see the hood guy?"

"I saw... just movement," Tommy answered before Amelia could get a word in, "Everything blurry. I was kind of out of it."

"Yeah... I," Amelia paused for a brief moment to gather her thoughts, "I guess I was to confused to see anything really important happen."

"Yeah, okay..." Detective Lance said. He pursed his lips together for a moment, looking at Moira and Walter, before speaking again.

"It's funny; one day back, and already, somebody's gunning for you. Aren't you popular."

"Were you able to identify the men?" Moira asked, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation had turned.

Amelia looked from her mother to over at her brother. He just sat there, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Scrubbed identities. Untraceable weapons," Detective Lance's partner said from the window, "These were pros."

"Yeah," Detective Lance added, "well, they probably figured you'd pay a king's ransom to get your kids back. Or, a Queen's ransom, as it were."

Detective Lance looked away from Moira and Walter and down at his hands for moment as he chuckled.

"After all," he said, his gaze moving towards Oliver, "a parent would do anything to keep their child safe."

Amelia could feel the animosity coming from Detective Lance. Not that she could honestly blame him - Oliver had, after all, convinced Detective Lance's younger daughter to go on a trip that ended up killing her. But even so, did that really justify the way that he was handling this?

"I... don't find your tone appropriate, Detective," Moira said, clearly upset.

"If Oliver and Amelia think of anything else, they'll be in touch," Walter added, fixing his suit jacket as he stood up. Amelia could tell that Walter was getting agitated, and standing up like that was something that he did only when he wanted something to end.

"Thank-you gentlemen for coming," Walter continued, really ending the conversation.

Detective Lance stood up, slowly putting the picture of the hooded guy in his briefcase. He looked over at Walter and Moira for a brief moment, before turning his attention towards Oliver, yet again.

"Your luck never seems to run out," Detective Lance muttered. With that, he headed out of the room with his partner in tow.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Two days later, Amelia had still been shaken up about the what had happened. She tried to distract herself from the whole ordeal by working on the coming back party for Oliver. For the most part, it was easy, though she did find one thing a bit odd - Oliver practically gave her free reign of the entire party, except for the location. Oliver said it had to be at Starling City Convention Center.

That would've been nearly impossible for someone to get on such short notice, if it weren't for the fact that Amelia was... well, Amelia. Over the years, Amelia had had made it her job to know people in Starling City, and well, she had racked up a bunch of favors from all sorts of people. Including the Events Manager at the convention center.

So, within a few hours, Amelia had booked the space, gotten the entertainment, and made a deal with one of the best clubs in Starling, so they would provide the alcohol. She also managed to hire a security team, to not only make that there wouldn't be any more kidnapping attempts, but also to keep minors, and really any unwanted guests, out.

After finishing the party stuff, Amelia decided to check her email. As soon as she opened her email, she noticed a serious looking one from her boss. The title read 'New Story,' she was eager to see what her new assignment would be.

_Amelia,_

_I heard about what happened to you and your brother yesterday. If that hooded guy comes around again, I want you on the story. Keep your camera on you at all times._

_Sean Jones_

As she scanned the short letter, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her boss was good at his job, but he was also incredibly blunt, and a bit oblivious to the world around him. Amelia knew she didn't have to reply, but there was a bit of her that wanted to bite back - yes, we're fine, thanks for asking.

Instead, she quickly wrote out a respectable response - 'Dear Sean, I will keep you updated if anything else happens. Amelia.' - and was going to look at more of her emails, before her phone began to rang. She looked over at it, praying that it wasn't the DJ, or something, calling to cancel. Luckily, it was just her best friend, Delaney Souris.

"Hey Laney," Amelia said as she answered the call, "What's up?"

"So, Oliver's party is tonight, and you were going to tell me, when?"

Amelia laughed. Leave it to her best friend to hear about the party before it was officially announced.

"I was going to send out a mass email during lunch," Amelia answered, "And I swear, you were the first person on the list."

"Oh, I know," Laney said, "Because that's the only explanation as to why you didn't tell me before hand."

"Well," Amelia said, "Do you want to come over, and help with the rest of the invitation list? I could use some help."

Amelia heard her best friend squeal from the other end of the line.

"I'll be there in five," Laney replied, "I'll see you then!"

Amelia couldn't even get a bye in, before Laney hung up. Amelia didn't have to wait long at all, because, like she had said, five minutes later, the doorbell rang, signifying that someone was here.

Amelia got off of her bed, and headed downstairs with her laptop. Once Amelia got to the living room, she was greeted by a small brunette.

"Okay," the brunette said, "Please tell me that Oliver is still as good looking as ever..."

"Laney, he's my brother," Amelia replied, pulling the brunette into a hug.

"So. I think my brother's  _gorgeous_ ," Laney replied

"Yeah, but he's your  _step_ -brother," Amelia retorted.

"Eh Pa-tay-toe, Pa-tah-toe," Laney replied.

Soon enough, the two girls were sitting in the living room, coming up with a list of people to invite, and talking about the latest Starling City gossip.

Amelia found it rather nice; sitting with her best friend, talking as if there wasn't a care in the world - it felt like something 'normal,' which certainly wasn't something that she had experienced recently.

The two friends talked for hours it seemed, even after the invites to the party went out. Amelia hadn't even realized how much time had gone by, until the doorbell rang.

_Who could that be?_  Amelia thought, turning her head, hoping to get a look at who it was.

Amelia wasn't surprised when Tommy walked through the doorway to the living room.

"Laney," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Tommy," Laney replied, allowing herself to get pulled into a hug with her friend.

"What are you doing here?" Laney asked.

That was a good question. What  _was_  he doing here?

"I told Amelia that I would help with the party," he answered, "and so here I am."

"Oh, we've got it all under control," Laney said, waving her hands, "So you don't have to worry your pretty little head."

Amelia smiled and rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Until the heavy lifting," the young blonde added.

"Speaking of witch," she continued, looking down at her watch, "we should go - the convention center is expecting us soon."

"I'll drive," Tommy said.


	7. VII.

**VII.**

Amelia couldn't help herself as she looked around.

Everything was  _perfect_.

The crew had already set up the stage, and the DJ was now putting together her sound system. The bar had been fully stocked with only the best of the best, and currently, the bartender was going over the drinks that he was going to serve at the party. Everything was going at a much quicker pace than Amelia thought it would, and for that, she was grateful.

"Amelia," Tommy called out from the other side of the room, "Can you come here for a second? I need your help with something."

Amelia turned towards Laney, and handed her the clipboard that the blonde had been using to write notes.

"I'll be back, soon," Amelia told her friend. She turned towards the bartender, and gave a small nod, before making her way to where Tommy was.

"what's up?" Amelia asked. Tommy just shrugged and began heading towards one of the empty hallways.

"I just need your help with this thing."

"Okay, well, I –"

As the two had turned the corner, Amelia was interrupted by Tommy as he pushed her against the wall, and forcefully placed his lips on hers'. She squirmed only for a second, before easing into the kiss for a moment.

"Tommy, stop," Amelia whispered as she pulled away, "Someone's gonna  _catch_  us."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Tommy asked. Amelia saw the hurt look on Tommy's face, and for a moment, she wondered the same thing. But, then thoughts went back to Oliver, and how she knew he would be hurt if they told him right now. They needed to be patient, and wait until this whole thing with Oliver calmed down. Then, they would tell everyone.

"You  _know_  why we can't say anything yet, Tommy," Amelia replied, "It's just too soon."

"I know," Tommy said with a somber tone, "I  _know_."

She leaned in and gave Tommy a small peck on the cheek, which seemed to satisfy him just fine.

"Now, is there anything else you  _actually_  need me for?" she teased, "Or did you just want to make out with your pretty girlfriend?"

"Nope," Tommy said with a cheeky grin, "I'm good."

"Good," Amelia replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. She turned, and made her way back to the main room, with Tommy following right behind her.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

A few hours later, with the party already in full swing, Oliver came walking down the stairs.

Amelia smiled when she saw her brother; Tommy, who had been talking to some brunette next to them, noticed the smile, and turned to look at what she had seen. When he noticed that it was Oliver, he signaled the DJ to pause the music.

"Everybody, hey," he said once he made he was towards his best friend, "Man of the hour!"

He gestured towards Oliver, and everyone cheered.

"Hey ladies,  _please_ , give this man a proper homecoming!"

Oliver smiled, and walked up to Amelia, giving her a small peck on the cheek.

"Thanks," he whispered, before pulling away. We are the Champion started playing as he made his way to the stage.

"Thank-you very much, everybody," he said as he climbed up on the stage. Amelia watched as Tommy, who had followed him up there, handed him a shot of what Amelia could only guess what tequila.

"I missed tequila," Oliver confirmed, after swallowing the shot in one gulp. A smile was on his face, and he truly looked happy. And that was all Amelia could ever ask for. Her brother was back. And he was  _happy_.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

"Great party, Mel," someone said to Amelia as they passed by. She smiled, happy that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves tonight. She scanned the crowd and saw various people – some she knew, others she didn't – dancing, and drinking, and generally partying. They all seemed  _happy_.

"Thanks again, Mel," Oliver said as he stood next to her at the bar, "For all of this."

"Of course," she responded, "You're my brother. I'd do anything for you. You know that."

The bartender set down two drinks in front of the siblings, and the two shared a smile.

"To your homecoming," Amelia said, lifting her glass.

"To family reunions," Oliver said, lifting his glass as well. There was a soft clink as the two glasses hit each other, and the two siblings both took a long sip. Oliver basically finished his entire drink in one swig, but Amelia was only able to finish about half of her drink.

"Hey," Tommy said as he walked over, gesturing towards the bodyguard that Amelia's mother had hired to protect Oliver, "does he wipe for you, too?"

Oliver looked over at Mr. Diggle, who smiled and gave a small nod. Amelia just rolled her eyes as she brought her drink back to her lips for a second sip.

"Now, by my estimate, you have not had sex in 1,839 days," Tommy continued. Amelia choked on her alcohol, trying hard not to laugh. Oliver just looked at Tommy, seriously wondering what the brunette was going to say next.

"As your wingman," Tommy continued, turning Oliver's attention towards the dance floor, "I highly recommend Carmen Golden."

"Which one is she?" Oliver asked as he scanned the crowd. Amelia also turned her attention towards the mass crowd of people, and tried to find someone that would fit Oliver's 'type.'

"The one who looks like the chick from 'Twilight," Tommy answered. Amelia couldn't help but cringe when she heard that comparison.

"What's 'Twilight?" Oliver asked.

Amelia patting his arm.

"Oh, you're  _so_  better off not knowing," Amelia answered.

Amelia and Tommy shared a quick glance and a smile, before Oliver spoke.

"Back in a minute," he said, pulling Amelia's arm as he walked away. Amelia had no choice but to follow, and it didn't take her long to figure out why Oliver was pulling her away.

There, Thea stood, with some of her friends, a smile on her face. Amelia couldn't help but frown. She specifically told the head bouncer not to let anyone under twenty-one in, no matter what. The young blonde made a mental note to talk to the group she hired, and set them straight.

"Hey," Thea said when she noticed her two older siblings, "Ollie. Mel. This party is  _sick_."

"Who let you in here?" Oliver asked as he pulled Thea away from her friends.

"I believe it was someone who said, 'right this way, Miss Queen," The answered.

"Well, you shouldn't be here." Amelia said.

The smile quickly disappeared from Thea's face.

"Guys, I'm not twelve anymore," she responded.

"No, you're seventeen." The twins said at the exact same time. If it weren't for the fact that they were trying to have a serious conversation with Thea, Amelia would've let out a small laugh.

"Ollie, Mell, I love you two," Thea said, "But you can't just come back here and judge me, especially for being just like you."

Amelia knew those words were directed towards Oliver, but she couldn't help but still be hurt by them.

"I know that it could've have been easy for you when I was away –" Oliver began to say, though Thea interrupted him.

"Away?" Thea said, scoffing, "No. You  _died._  My brother and my father died. I went to your funerals."

"I know," Oliver said.

"No, you don't. Mom had Walter, Amelia, you had Tommy. I had  _no one_ ," Thea replied.

"You guys all act like it's cool, let's forget about the last five years," The youngest Queen sibling continued, "Well I can't. For me, it's kind of permanently in there. So, I'm sorry if I turned out some major disappointment, but this,  _me,_  is the best I could do with what I had to work with."

Her attention went from Oliver to Amelia, and the older Queen sister could see the anger in Thea's eyes. Thea was angry, of course, but Amelia saw something else there, that she couldn't quite place. It seemed as if Thea was trying to tell Amelia that everything was Amelia's fault.

Before Amelia could say anything, Thea turned towards her friends.

"Let's bounce," she said, walking away with her group of friends. Amelia began to follow Thea, but Oliver put his arm out, blocking his sister's way.

"She needs space," he said. Amelia said nothing but frowned and let out a small sigh.

The two siblings turned and made their way back to the bar, and for a split second, Amelia saw Oliver throw something white away in a trashcan.

"What was that?" Amelia asked, letting her curiosity get the better of her.

"what was what?" Oliver replied.

"The thing, you just threw away."

"Oh," Oliver responded, glancing back at the trashcan, "It was uh, just a, a piece of lint."

"Oh," Amelia answered, "Okay."

Oliver looked over at his sister, and smiled. Amelia returned the smile, but only for a moment, before the two siblings accidentally ran into someone neither of them expect to see –  _Laurel_. And she looked just as surprised as the twins did.

"You're here?" Oliver asked.

"Tommy. He made the point that we have to many years between us to leave things the way we left them."

Her gaze quickly flickered to Amelia just for a moment, before back to Oliver.

"Is there someplace quieter that we could go?" She asked.

"Yeah," Oliver said as he started leading Laurel to the stairs. The two paused and looked back at Amelia.

"No," Amelia said, shaking her head, "I don't know what you're looking for right now, Laurel, but I don't think I can offer it to you. Not now."

Laurel looked as if she wanted to reply, but then simply smiled and nodded.

"That's fair."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

After parting ways with Laurel and Oliver, Amelia made her way to the bar, and after chugging a couple of drinks, she realized that, in her slightly inebriated state, she really wanted to dance. So, she pulled Laney out onto the dance floor. An hour later, she found herself dancing with Laney, Tommy, and a bunch of other friends that had made it to the party.

She hadn't even noticed that Oliver wasn't there, until Mr. Diggle pushed through the crowd that had gathered around, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, Miss Queen," he said. She turned around, slightly tripping on her shoe as she went.

"Oh, hello Mr. Diggle," she replied with a rather comical smile, "Is everything all right?"

Mr. Diggle frowned, and shook his head.

" _Actually_ , no," he said, trying to speak over the loud music, "I can't seem to find Oliver. He um… he seemed to have managed to escape. Again."

A small frown appeared on Ameila's face as she scanned the crowd. Instantly, she felt herself sobering up, and she made her way to the edge of the dance floor, to the bar, to see if she could get a better view of the place.

Tommy seemed to have noticed her worry, and as she went, he followed.

"Everything okay?" He asked

Amelia shook her head.

"We can't find Oliver," she answered. As if he knew it was going to be needed, the bartender put another drink in front of Amelia, and she eagerly accepted it.

Before anything else could be said, the music stopped playing, and Detective Lance walked in with a group of officers.

"Starling City Police," he said, "The party's over, kids."

Boos began to echo throughout the room, though it didn't seem like the police officers cared. It didn't take long for Detective Lance and the others to make their way over to Amelia, Tommy, and Mr. Diggle.

"Oh, Mr. Merlyn. Imagine my shock at finding you here. Did you roofie anyone special tonight, huh?"

"Detective Lance," Amelia said before Tommy could respond, "This is a  _private_  party. What seems to be the problem?"

"There was an incident at Adam Hunt's building tonight," Detective Lance replied, "You know anything about that?"

Before she could respond, her brother seemingly magically appeared next to her.

"Who's Adam Hunt?" he asked.

"He's a millionaire bottom feeder, and I'm surprised the two of you aren't friends."

"I've been out of town for … a while," Oliver replied, a small smirk on his face.

"Yeah, well, he just got attacked by the guy with the hood. The guy that saved your ass the other day."

"The Hood Guy? You didn't find him?" Oliver asked, "I'm going to offer everyone an award."

He turned around, and spoke towards the massive crowd.

"Hey everybody," he called out, "2 million dollars to anybody that can find a nut bar in a green hood."

There was loud cheering, and the music started back up, and everything seemed to go back to the way it was. Tommy seemed to get distracted by someone, and walked off to go talk to them, while Oliver turned back around, and Amelia watched.

Detective Lance got close to Oliver.

"Did you even try to save her?" He asked. His partner began pulling him away from Oliver.

"Did you even try to save my daughter?"

Oliver just watched as Detective Lance got pulled away by his partner, who was whispering things like 'Sarah wouldn't want this.' Eventually, Detective Lance turned and simply walked away.

Amelia watched as it happened, and then turned her head towards her brother with a small smirk on her face.

"It's funny," Amelia said, taking a sip of her appletini, "I mean, you asking to have your party  _here_ , and Hunt getting robbed right across the street, by the  _same guy_ that apparently rescued us from that warehouse yesterday..."

Deep down, Amelia knew that Oliver had something to do with this.

"If I were you, Mel," Oliver said with a serious look, "I'd just be glad you're alive."

There was something in Oliver's eyes that Amelia couldn't quite place. She was starting to get frustrated with her brother. Sure, he had been gone for the past five years, but Amelia had known him practically for her entire life, before that. She thought she knew her brother, knew his little quirks and oddities that no one else could figure out. But now, she wasn't so sure.

"What...  _happened_ to you on that island, Oliver?" She asked with seriousness tone in her voice.

"A lot."


	8. VIII.

**VIII.**

About a week had passed since the party, and everything had since calmed down. Oliver spent a lot of time by himself, but Amelia wasn't surprised - after all, spending five years on an island alone would cause some sort of isolation when coming back to civilization.

She was just glad that there were times, though not frequent, the two would share that almost made it feel like no time at all had passed. He still remembered her favorite snack, which they had eaten together while Oliver asked about current things, and Amelia tried to answer best she could. He remembered her favorite color, and the pathway through their maze-like garden.

Although it was far from what Amelia had been used to, she was glad that she was getting at least some of the old Oliver back.

Still, it seemed that there were nights when Mr. Diggle came over, informing the rest of the Queens that Oliver had gone missing. And every night, he seemed to be getting home later and later.

Amelia sometimes found herself up in the wee hours of the night; even sleep occasionally eluded her. And sometimes, she be coming back to her room from the kitchen, after getting a midnight snack, and she'd hear Oliver rummaging through his room, or she'd see from her window him climbing into the house.

But she didn't think much of it, to be honest; Oliver himself had even mentioned it once or twice to her that he had been lonely on the island, and that a little companionship was long overdue. Even though Oliver had changed drastically while on the island, Amelia hadn't be given any reason to think otherwise.

The only thing that seemed to weigh heavy on Amelia's mind was the fact that Oliver lied to the police, lied to Tommy, and to her about what happened when they were kidnapped. She wanted to ask Oliver about it, but there never seemed to be the right time for it.

But then again, there wasn't much time for anything, really, considering now that it was clearly known that Oliver was alive, he had to be officially declared 'not dead' by the state of California. And today was the day that was supposed to happen.

This was a very big day for the Queen family, so Amelia thought that obviously, she had to look nice.

As she sat at her vanity table, trying to do her make-up, her cellphone began ringing. As she looked down at it, she couldn't help but smile when she saw a text from Tommy.

_Lets do lunch - there's this new place I want to take Ollie. I think he'll love it._

Amelia quickly sent back a response, before going back to her make-up.

_Can't_ , it said,  _Oliver's getting resurrected today - have to be in court._

It didn't take long for a message to appear.

_Damn. I forgot. Do you think your family would mind if I tagged along?_

Amelia rolled her eyes. She was certain that it didn't matter if her family minded or not; Tommy was most likely going to show up, anyways.

Before she could send another response, a soft knock was heard from the door.

"Come in," Amelia said. As the door opened, Thea revealed herself.

"It's breakfast time," the younger Queen sister said.

Amelia nodded.

"Kay," she responded, "I'll be down in a few minutes."

With that Thea left and closed the door behind her. She finished her make-up, and made her way downstairs, leaving her cellphone in her room, so she wouldn't get distracted.

Breakfast went well enough - Oliver was absent, but Thea said that he had said that he was still a bit tired, and he'd grab a small bite before heading over to the court house, and that the rest of the family should go on and eat without him. Of course, Moira wanted to protest, but Amelia had insisted the go ahead, saying that Oliver was still getting out of his 'island habits,' and that it wouldn't take much longer for him to get re-accustomed to how things were done in the Queen house hold.

After breakfast, the family situated themselves in the family room, watching the morning news, like they had been doing every day for years. After a few minutes, it had gotten on the topic of Mr. Redman; a man that had been in the news lately, for a whole mess of things.

"Over the past 15 years, Mr. Redman has withdrawn over 30 million dollars from the plans account," the television anchor said, "Redman claims refunding the Houston Pension Plan has always been his intent. But sources say Redman was coerced by the vigilante, who to this day -"

"This guy gets more air time than the Kardashians, right?" Oliver mentioned as he entered the room, gesturing towards the television as he interrupted the news.

Amelia looked over at him with a very bemused look on her face. Of course,  _that_  would've been something to come out of his mouth.

"Five years on an island," Thea said to him, "and you  _still_ know who they are."

"I've been catching up" Oliver responded, a small smile on his face, "It's nice to see how much our culture has improved while I was away."

"You know, the city used to be different; people  _used to_ feel safe," Moira said.

"Oh, what's the matter, Mom?" Thea asked, her tone slightly mocking, "afraid we're going to be next?"

Amelia shot her sister a dirty look, but Moira simply ignored the question. Instead, she got up and looked at Oliver.

"Do you have any questions about today, Oliver?" Walter asked from behind Moira, "It's simple proof of life declination - just read out a brief, prepared statement to the judge, and then your death-in-absentia judgement will be voided."

"It's fine, Walter," Oliver answered, "I've been in a courtroom before."

"Four times, by my estimate," Tommy said as he entered the room, "you know, there was the DUI, the assault on the paparazzi douche bag."

Amelia smiled, but it quickly disappeared when she saw her mother's uncomfortable look that appeared on her face.

"Stealing that taxi," Tommy continued, "which was just awesome by the way, and who could forget peeing on the cop?"

"I wish  _everyone_  would," Moira said as Walter helped her put on her jacket.

"I'd hang," Oliver said, turning towards his friend, "but we're heading to court."

"I know," Tommy replied, "that's why I'm here. My best friend is getting legally resurrected. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Oliver looked like he wanted to say more, but after a brief moment, he drew his attention away from his best friend, and towards his two sisters.

"What about you two?" he asked, changing the subject.

" _Of course_ I'll be there," Amelia said, as she stood up from her seat. This was important to the family; she wasn't going to miss it either.

"Ah, I think the first four times you were in court was enough for me," Thea said.

"Fair enough," Oliver responded as the youngest Queen sister walked out of the living room.

A small frown appeared on Amelia's lips as she looked over at her mother. The two Queens made eye contact, but Moira just shook her head ever so slightly, which made Amelia furrow her brow.

This was an important day for the entire family - Thea should've been there, with the rest of them. But clearly, Thea had more important things to do, and their mother didn't think it worth the time to fight with the youngest to get her to go.

"Mr. Queen," Mr. Diggle said as he entered the room, snapping Amelia out of her thoughts, "the car is ready."

The five of them made their way out of the room, though not before Amelia noticed the looks that both her mother and brother had given Tommy. She too gave Tommy a look, and hoped she got across what she wanted to say.

_This is important. PLEASE don't screw it up._

"I promise," Tommy whispered to her, as if he could read her mind, "I'll be on my  _best_ behavior today."

"Good," Amelia replied.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

The Queen family had been in the press before, but, having Oliver come back from the dead after five years was big news, and as Amelia and the others got out of the car, she was reminded of how vicious the paparazzi could really be.

Of course, they were all bombarding Oliver with questions: "What was it like being away for five years?" "Can you tell us what happened on the island?"

Amelia suddenly felt a bit light headed as the flashing lights from the cameras hit her face (she certainly wasn't as used to being on this side of the camera as much, anymore). She was glad when she felt Tommy's hand wrap around her waist, and pull her close, shielding her from the people trying to get at her brother.

Oliver seemed to be taking it in strides, though. He was obviously angry, but he wasn't hostile, which was an improvement since the last time he dealt with the paparazzi.

They made their way to the courthouse without any incident, and once they were inside, the police there made sure that the paparazzi didn't follow them there.

Amelia let out a small breath that she had been holding.

"Amelia, are you all right sweetheart?" Moira asked when she noticed something was wrong.

Amelia just shook her head.

"I'm fine, I promise," she said, "I just wasn't expecting... well, all of  _that_."

She gestured towards the door, and Moira simply nodded.

"Of course," the older Queen said, "Why don't you and I stay here while the men get everything situated."

"No," Tommy said from Amelia's side, "You really should be with Walter and Oliver; I can stay here with Amelia."

Moira looked at Amelia, wanting to object. But, after a few moments, she grabbed onto Walter.

"Alright," she responded, "just please be careful."

"We will," Amelia replied as Moira, Walter, and Oliver walked away.

She turned to Tommy and smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Tommy replied, "But she's right; you do look sick. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, really," Amelia answered, "I just guess I'm not really used to being on this side of the paparazzi anymore."

"Plus," she added in a hushed tone, "I woke up late last night to Oliver trying to get into the house."

Which was true; Oliver had, yet again, tried to sneak into the house undetected. She hadn't bothered to mention it to Oliver - he had his reasons, and Amelia was certain it had to do with a girl. There was no use trying to talk to him about it, when she knew he just put up more walls.

"Wow; she must be some lucky girl," Tommy said, "He's been going at it since the kidnapping and party."

The kidnapping.

Amelia hadn't told Tommy the truth about it yet; the fact that Oliver was the one that had saved them, and not some guy in a green hood. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him - quite the contrary, she really did. She just didn't seem to every find a good enough time to tell him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but before any words could come out, the rest of their party came over.

"Everything's in order," Walter said, "They should see us shortly."


	9. IX.

**IX.**

"There was a storm," Oliver said to the judge as he stood.

Amelia sat with the rest of her family in the audience, watching in silence as her brother talked.

"The boat went down," he continued, "I was the only survivor."

There was a long pause, and while Amelia couldn't see his face, she knew that Oliver was hurting.

"My father didn't make it," he finally said, "I almost died. I … I thought I  _had_ , cause I spent so many days on that life raft before I saw the island. When I reached it, I knew… I knew that I was gonna have to live for both of us. And in those five years, it was the one thing that kept me going."

Amelia felt a small squeeze on her hand, and looked down and noticed that, at some point during Oliver's statement, she must have reached over and grabbed Tommy's hand. She quickly squeezed back, and gave a small smile, though her attention had been brought back to Oliver. But, as the lawyer began talking, another squeeze happened, telling Amelia that the smile hadn't gone unnoticed by Tommy.

"Your honor," Mrs. Loring, the family lawyer, said, "We movie to vitiate the death-in-absentia filled after Oliver's disappearance at sea aboard the Queen's Gambit five years ago."

"Unfortunately," she continued with a small frown on her face, "We will not be requesting that the deceleration of death filed for the petitioner's father, Robert Queen, be receded. The Queen family is only entitled to one miracle, I'm afraid."

As Mrs. Loring spoke, Oliver turned his attention to his family, and gave a small smile when his gaze met Amelia's. She returned the smile, and nodded her head.

This seemed to be the finalization of it all. As the judge made his verdict, and the court was adjourned, Amelia couldn't help but smile at the realization that it was now over, and, despite how corny it sounded in her head, Amelia knew that with Oliver being fully resurrected, he could now really live.

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

"Now, onto the offices," Moira said as the group made their way down the stairs of the courthouse, "Everyone is dying to meet you there-"

"Uh, Mom," Oliver said, pulling his mother's arm to get her attention, "That was ... a little bit heavier than I was expecting it to be. Could we do that tomorrow? Please?"

Moira glanced over at Walter, but gave an understanding look as she looked back at Oliver and nodded.

"Of course," she answered. She and Walter began walking down the stairs. But, instead of following right behind them, Oliver looked over at Tommy, which made Amelia, who was standing behind her brother, wait. Tommy gave him an odd look, before beginning his own descension own the stairs.

"Last week, you couldn't wait to get to the company," the brunette said once Moira and Walter were out of earshot, a small frown on his face.

"Tommy, I just spent five years away from civilization," Oliver replied, "I wasn't exactly thinking straight."

As the three turned the corner, they ran into Laurel (quite literally, in Oliver's case), who seemed to be angrily walking towards the courtrooms. There were two women behind her, trying to keep up.

"Hi," Oliver said as he made eye contact with the young lawyer.

"Hi," Tommy also said.

Amelia just let out a small grunt as she looked at Laurel with a small scowl on her face.

Laurel did  _not_  look pleased.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her gaze stuck on Oliver.

"Oh..." Oliver said, "They were bringing me back from the dead. Legally speaking."

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"My job," Laurel answered.

"More like the DA's," one of the women behind Laurel, to her left, spoke up, and small smile played upon her lips. Amelia watched as Laurel slightly turned and glared at the other woman, causing the small smile to vanish from the woman's lips.

"Oliver Queen," Oliver introduced himself as he stuck out his hand for the woman on Laurel's right, trying to dissipate the awkwardness that was sure to come otherwise.

Amelia could easily notice the glare that Laurel had on her face was turned towards Oliver, but he chose to ignore it.

"Emily Nocenti," the young woman replied, shaking his hand.

"Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island," Laurel said, glancing back at Emily, before glaring at Oliver once again, "Before that, he was cheating on me with my sister. He was with her when she died."

Amelia couldn't help but cringe.

"And last week," she continued, "he told me to stay away from him. It was  _really_ good advice."

"Excuse me," she said to the three friends as she pushed her way past Oliver and Amelia. Amelia hadn't noticed that Tommy had taken her hand until he gave it gentle squeeze. Amelia looked down at it for a moment, before bringing her attention to Tommy. She gave the brunette a small smile and gently pulled away.

It was nice to meet you," the blonde – Emily – said as she and the other woman walked away, following Laurel's path.

There was a moment of silence, before Tommy patted Oliver on the back.

"Come on, buddy," he said, "shake it off. Let's go."

Oliver let out a small sigh before he nodded, and led the way outside, Amelia and Tommy quickly trailing behind.

As the three of them made their way outside, they couldn't help but notice a man standing in front of the press. Amelia knew almost instantly who the man was; Mr. Somers was someone that you did not want to cross. Of course, in public he was your well to do businessman who did everything in his power to help those in need, but Amelia had heard the rumors; he was just as vicious as all the other crooked, rich men in Starling who only wanted to really help themselves.

"I don't know what I've done to earn this which-hunt from Miss Lance and her bosses at CNRI," he said with a smug smile on his face, "but I can tell you this; I am an honest businessman, and I will fight this slander to my last dime and breath."

"That's all I have to say," he concluded, "Thank-you."

And with that, the older man walked off, the press following him like a puppy. Amelia couldn't help but frown as she, Oliver, and Tommy watched him walk away; he was the scum of the Earth, and even though her relationship with Laurel was rocky, Amelia hoped that Laurel had enough to put him away for good.

It didn't take long for the press to realize that Oliver was coming out, and soon they began to swarm around him and the other two. Oliver made a mad dash for the car as they bombarded him with questions. Mr. Diggle appeared out of nowhere, coming to Oliver's aid as he pushed his way through the thick crowd.

Amelia and Tommy just watched from behind as it all happened. Once Oliver made it into the car, the two began making their way towards the bodyguard, but before they could get close enough, the car sped off. Amelia let out a small sigh.

"This happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" She asked Mr. Diggle as she and Tommy made their way to the curb. Though she hadn't meant to sound mean or rude, it had come off as a little catty, and Mr. Diggle glared at her for a moment, before bringing his attention back to the road. Amelia just shrugged, and brought out her cellphone, and dialed a familiar number.

"Mom," she said, when the other person answered the phone, "I'm not feeling well; can you send another car around to bring Tommy and me home?"

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Amelia was silent for pretty much the entire ride back to Queen Manor. Not because she was peeved, even thought she was – she was just trying to understand Oliver's motives over the past week or so that he'd been home.

In the past, Oliver would've taken the car, and driven to the nearest bar to pick up chicks and get drunk off his ass. But now, Amelia wasn't so sure. If it was Oliver up to his old tricks again, why wouldn't he tell anyone? Sure, if he wanted to keep it a secret from most people, that was his prerogative, but even with that, he usually told at least Amelia what was going on. So, why wasn't he telling her now? There were so many questions that Amelia had, so many things she wanted to know.

Before Amelia could ponder any more about the situation, the car door opened.

"We're back, Ms. Queen," Mr. Diggle said as he waited for her to get out.

"Oh," she mumbled, snapping out of her daze. She quickly made her way out of the car, Tommy getting out from the other side. The two made their way to the front door. Before Amelia walked into the mansion, she paused for a moment.

She knew, of course, that Moira and Walter weren't home - even though Oliver hadn't wanted to go to the office, the two of them still had work that needed to be done – so, it meant that it would just be Tommy and Amelia alone in the mansion for lunch – a thought that Amelia suddenly felt very uncomfortable with.

"Uh, Mr. Diggle," Amelia said, turning her attention towards her brother's bodyguard, "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

Mr. Diggle opened his mouth to decline, but as Amelia looked at him, he noticed the strange desperation in her eyes.

"Of course," he answered instead, shutting the door to the car, "I'd love to."

"Good," Amelia said with a smile, "I'll go see if Raisa's around, and ask her to cook something for us."

**~ Queen of Queens ~**

Lunch had gone on well enough. Early into it, Tommy had gotten a call from his father, who was summoning the younger Merlyn, and of course, Tommy couldn't very well say no to his own father, so that left Amelia and Mr. Diggle together for most of the afternoon.

The two shared pleasantries as they ate, and Amelia had learned quite a lot about the man. He was a former army man, and although he had no wife or children, he had gotten a divorce once, and did have a nephew and a sister-in-law that he took care of as much as he could.

In turn, Amelia told him about her job as a journalist, and her childhood at the Queen Manor. Overall, the afternoon was enjoyable enough, and it only ended when Mr. Diggle got a phone call from his sister-in-law.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Queen," he said with a frown, "It's Carly. She needs me."

"I'll only let you go if you promise to stop calling me 'Ms. Queen,' and start calling me Amelia," she replied.

Mr. Diggle nodded, and smiled, and quickly made his way out of the kitchen area.

Amelia began cleaning up the dishes – putting them in the sink, so she could wash everything later. She was just about to do that, when her cellphone rang. As she looked down at her phone, she was a bit surprised to see who it was.

"Well,  _you_ sure did disappear quickly," Amelia said as she answered the phone.

"I'm sorry," Oliver replied, "I just … there was something I needed to do."

"Yeah, it seems that there's  _a lot_ that you need to do these days…" Amelia snapped back, "Are you ever gonna tell me exactly what it is that needs to be done so badly?"

"Mel, I…" Oliver tried to say, "I was… I was alone for five years."

"And before that, Ollie," Amelia retorted, "I was your sister – your twin sister – for twenty-two years. That has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Before Oliver had time to respond, the house phone began ringing. Amelia let out a small sigh as she walked over to the counter where the phone was located.

"I've got to go, Ollie," Amelia said, "It's mom. I told her what happened, so she's probably worried sick."

"I'll let her know you're all right," Amelia added, "Bye."

And with that, she hung up on her brother, and answered her mother's call.

"Hello Mother," Amelia said rather quickly, "Before you ask, no, Oliver isn't home yet, but he  _did_  call. He's fine. Just … there was something he needed to do."

"Oh good," Moira replied, letting out a deep breath, "I was scared that something had happened to him again. This wouldn't be a problem if Mr. Diggle was doing his job."

"Hey, he's doing the best he can; it isn't his fault Oliver keeps trying to get away."

Amelia cringed as she heard her mother sigh from the other end of the line.

"We'll talk about this later, when Walter and I get home."

"Fine," Amelia answered; she wanted to say more, but she knew better than to get into a fight with her mother.

"Well, I'll see you later tonight, then. Goodbye, Sweetheart."

"Bye, mom."

And with that, Moira hung up the phone, leaving Amelia mentally exhausted.

As she looked at the microwave clock, she realized how long the day had been. She decided that a short nap was probably the best thing to take, knowing full well of the night that was ahead of her.


	10. X.

**X.**

It wasn't until night time when Moira & Walter returned home. The second Moira came into the house, Amelia could tell that her mother was upset.

"Is Mr. Diggle here?" She asked Amelia as she entered the living room. Amelia, who was curled up by the fire, reading a book, simply looked at her mother, and shook her head.

"No, he had to deal with some family matters," Amelia answered, "he hasn't been back yet."

"Well," Moira said, pursing her lips as she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.

"Mom, please," Amelia said, knowing full well that if she didn't stop her mother, she'd probably fire Mr. Diggle on the spot.

"Seriously," she continued, "it's not Mr. Diggle's fault. You know how forceful Oliver can be, and the fact that he hasn't had any real social interaction in the past five years can be hard on anyone. Please cut Mr. Diggle some slack – it  _really_  isn't his fault."

Moira looked at Amelia for a moment, thinking about it. Finally, she gave a small nod.

"I would still like to talk to him," Moira said, "But I won't fire him,  _yet_."

Amelia smiled and let out a small breath that she hadn't even noticed she was holding. She had just started to like Mr. Diggle, and it would've been such a disappointment if he had gotten fired so soon.

"Raisa," Amelia heard her mother say as the blonde made her way out of the living room, "Please call Mr. Diggle, and tell him to come to the manor, I would like to have a word with him."

Amelia made her way to her room, where she proceeded to get onto her laptop, trying to figure out what her next story was going to be. Sure, her main job was to get a photo of The Hood (Her boss had been adamant about that), but the vigilante was as elusive as they came, and while she always had her camera on, it was hard to get any photos, so she found herself taking other jobs when they came her way.

A few minutes later, Amelia made her way downstairs, when Mr. Diggle arrived. A small smile appeared on the blonde's face as bodyguard passed her.

"Good luck," she whispered. Mr. Diggle gave a small nod.

"Trust me," he replied, "I've been through  _a lot_  worse."

Amelia had to stifle a giggle as he walked into the living room, where Amelia's mother was promptly waiting. She made her way into the kitchen. She quickly grabbed a snack from the fridge, and made her way over to the other side of the countertop, where she sat in one of the bar chairs, and began eating.

She was only there for a few minutes, when she noticed Thea pass by.

"Hey Thea," Amelia called out to her little sister. Thea quickly appeared in front of the doorway.

"Yeah, Mel?" the young teen asked.

"Oh," Me said, noticing the other Queen sister's outfit, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Thea said with a roll of her eyes. Amelia wanted to ask more questions, but upon seeing her sister's attitude, she decided against it. She would have time in the future to talk to Thea about whatever was going on.

"Okay," she said instead, "Well, have fun."

Thea smiled and nodded, and then walked away, leaving Amelia alone. Amelia sometimes wondered if she had done the right things after Oliver's disappearance. She tried so hard to be the good sister that Thea needed, but sometimes she was so caught up in her own life, she had little time to pay attention to those around her.

Amelia was snapped out her thoughts by the sound of someone entering the kitchen, and found that it was her brother.

"I take it you talked with Mom and Mr. Diggle?" Amelia asked.

Oliver nodded as he opened the fridge, and grabbed a beer. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"What did you tell them?" she asked.

Oliver looked over at his sister, and raised his brow.

"Why are you so curious?" He asked, opening his beer bottle.

Amelia just shrugged. "I dunno; I just  _am_. I mean, we're  _all_  curious as to what, or  _who_ , has your attention."

Oliver let out a small chuckle as he sat down next to her.

"It's just some pretty girl," he answered, "I met her at the party you and Tommy threw for me."

"It's really not a big deal," he continued, looking down at his beer bottle, "It's  _just_  a fling."

Amelia watched as her brother talked, and for what felt like the hundredth time since he got back from the island, she knew that he was hiding something.

"You're lying," she said without even thinking about it, "You've been lying this whole time."

For a split second, Amelia thought that maybe calling Oliver out wasn't a good idea; maybe she should've just continue pretending that everything was okay. But, when Oliver looked up at her, and opened his mouth to speak, Amelia just seemed to let it all out before he could say a single word.

"You're hiding something, Ollie," she said, "Don't bother trying to lie to me; I know the truth isn't what you keep telling everyone. They all might believe it, but I'm your sister – your  _twin_ sister. You've forgotten the connection we share."

"Plus, I was awake, the day we got kidnapped," she continued, "I know what really happened. And … And I just want to know the truth;  _How_  did you manage to take down all those men at the warehouse? And why  _did_  you lie to the police about it? Who  _is_  this man in the green hood?"

"Amelia…" Oliver said, seemingly at a loss for words. Amelia could see it in her brother's eyes; he was looking for something,  _anything_ , to say to satisfy Amelia. And it was in that moment that Amelia realized that if Oliver didn't want to tell her, that was fine with her, but she was going to figure out the truth, no matter the cost.

"You don't have to tell me the truth, Ollie," She said, "But I  _will_  figure it out, one way or another. No matter what."

Oliver looked in his sister's eyes, and he noticed the determination that was set in her eyes. He knew the truth was that she would probably stop at nothing, which would most likely end up with her getting herself killed. He had to tell her the truth.

The twins held each other's gaze – Amelia knew that there was no going back know, even if she wanted to, too determined to get the truth. It felt like an eternity before Oliver broke the gaze.

"Fine," he finally said, "I'll tell you the truth."

Amelia instantly felt her face muscles relax.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really," he answered.

"You have to understand," he continued, "I'm not ready to talk about all those years on the island. Not yet, at least. But, it isn't fair for me to keep the truth from you about what's going on  _now_."

Amelia attentively watched as Oliver let out a deep sigh.

"But, we can't talk here," he said.

Amelia glanced around the room, and then looked back at her brother.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It means that we can't talk here," Oliver replied, standing up from the chair. Amelia quickly followed, and the two made their way up the stairs.

"The truth," Amelia demanded once the two made it to Oliver's room, " _Now_."

Oliver made sure to lock the door, and turned on his white noise machine that their mother had gotten for him after the night he had a bad dream. He sat down at his desk, and looked down at his hands.

"Now," Amelia repeated, standing only a few feet away from him with her arms crossed.

"Dad survived the initial sinking," Oliver admitted, "he made it onto a life raft."

"But, he killed himself, so that I could live. So that I could make it home, and right his wrongs."

He pulled out a small note book from the top drawer in his desk – the same notebook that he kept safe for all those years. He reached out, giving his sister permission to look.

Amelia hesitated for a second, before taking the small journal, and looking through it. It seemed as if a couple of pages had been ripped out, but there was no mistaking their father's handwriting, in a list of names of some of the most powerful people in Starling.

"What does Dad's death have to do with any of this?" Amelia asked. She had no idea what to expect, frankly, but the words that came out of Oliver's mouth were certainly not at all what she thought.

"I'm the Hood."

Amelia looked at her brother in disbelief. But, for the first time since he came back to Starling, there was something in her brother's eyes that she hadn't seen before. And that was when she knew, he wasn't joking.

"You're serious."

Oliver looked at his sister in amazement. He honestly didn't think it would be this easy to convince his sister that he was who he said he was.

"Yeah."

"Wow."

Amelia sat down on the edge of the desk. She turned her head towards him with a small smile on his face.

"Thanks for telling me the truth."

"You're my twin. I should've known hiding it from you would've been impossible."

The two siblings smiled at each other, and it felt like for the first time in forever, everything was completely at peace.

"So," Amelia said, brining her attention back to the notebook in her hand, "What do these names have to do with the Hood?"

"I'm not completely sure – Dad just said that I had to right his wrongs, and that  _this_  was the key."

Amelia flipped through the pages. There were names, and dates, and a bunch of scribbles that looked worn out, but nothing concrete to connecting anyone to.

Amelia started thinking about her father, and how she had promised him that she would take care of her brother. Suddenly a thought popped into her head.

" _We_  have to right his wrongs."


End file.
